Can Ireland qualify for the World Cup?

When the World Cup kicks off on 11 June 2026 in Mexico, it will be approaching the 24th anniversary of Ireland's last involvement in the great global tournament.

A penalty shoot-out defeat to Spain - in a game that Ireland should have won before time finally ran out on Mick McCarthy’s Roy Keane-less squad - was the last game the national team played on the world stage.

Thierry Henry’s handball, perhaps, the closest Ireland have come to qualifying since, during the 2010 qualification campaign, while recent attempts have seen the national team struggle and instead of bridging the gap, the chasm has widened.

FIFA may not have been keen on the idea of the 33-team World Cup as proposed by the FAI back after the handball fiasco, however, they have since expanded their thinking and have created a monster, with 48 teams set to sprawl the States, Canada and Mexico throughout the summer of '26.

A whooping 16 more teams than the last edition in Qatar, and yet Ireland’s hopes only marginally improve as Europe’s tally rises from 13 to 16 places.

The European qualifying format could have been brutal for Ireland, but as things turned out, there is certainly scope for optimism going into this year’s campaign as Heimir Hallgrimsson’s side were named in a four-team group alongside the winners of Portugal and Denmark, Hungary and Armenia.

Only the 12 group winners are guaranteed their place at the World Cup, however, second spot gets you into a play-off format, which would require two wins to advance – there are also four play-off places from the Nations League path.

Ten years on since Ireland last qualified for a major tournament, Hallgrimsson’s side remain an outside bet to land one of the top two places, however, there is a sense that this